Alexander Glazunov was born in St. Petersburg on August 10, 1865. His father was a successful publisher and violinist and his mother an amateur pianist. Alexander studied composition under the direction of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. During his career, Glazunov became one of the major Russian composers of the nineteenth century. In 1882 at age 16, he composed the first of his nine symphonies. In 1899, Glazunov became a professor at the St. Petersburg School of Music and later its director in 1905. In 1928, Glazunov left Russia for eternity, touring Europe and the United States and finally settling in Paris. In 1934, he composed a major work titled Concerto in Eb for Alto Saxophone, for classical saxophonist Sigurd Rascher. The first performance of this piece took place in Sweden with Rascher